Google's 5GB Cloud Storage Conundrum: A Reality Check

Google recently reduced the amount of free cloud storage available to new accounts from 15GB to 5GB, unless users link a phone number to their account.. This change has left many users wondering how to free up space in their Google account without linking a phone number or paying for extended storage .

Fortunately, there are still ways to free up space in Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos without linking a phone number or paying for extended storage.. One way to do this is to use Google's recommended steps for freeing up storage, which can be found on the Google One Storage Manager page.

The Easy Way to Free Up Space in Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos

On the Google One Storage Manager page, users can see exactly how much storage each service takes and go through Google's recommended steps for freeing up storage. This includes deleting large files in Drive, unwanted images and videos that take up tons of space in Photos, and emails with sizeable attachments and spam in Gmail.

Users can also delete items in the Trash, since they count toward total storage until they're permanently deleted. In Google Photos, users can delete unsupported and corrupted image and video files. Additionally, users can clear Socials, Promotions, and Updates alongside clearing their Spam and Trash in Gmail.

To make this easier, users can use modifiers in the search bar to specify emails from a long time ago or with a specific file size. In Google Drive, users can navigate to Storage in the sidebar to see all their files sorted by size and delete the ones they don't need.

Managing Storage Space in the Future

There are certain things users can do to ensure their storage doesn't fill up as quickly in the future. one way to do this is to turn off backup to have more space available for other apps . Users can also configure exactly what folders get backed up, since they might not want their screenshots to take up valuable storage space.

Another way to preserve storage space is to ensure that large video files don't get backed up. Users can also use built-in file compression to compress items they back up to save space. By taking these steps, users can manage their storage space more effectively and avoid the need to link a phone number or pay for extended storage.

Google's 5GB Cloud Storage Conundrum: A Reality Check

Google's recent change to 5GB of free cloud storage has left many users scrambling for space. Fortunately, there are still ways to free up space without linking a phone number or paying for extended storage. By following Google's recommended steps and taking steps to manage storage space in the future, users can avoid the need to link a phone number or pay for extended storage.